Golf clubs were historically categorized as either woods or irons depending on the composition of the materials used to form the heads. Although the categories of woods and irons have continued, the materials have changed drastically. An active field for players have driven the technology of fabricating golf clubs heads a far way from the original designs.
Along the way, metal was used to construct woods and the terminology "metal woods" came into usage. Both woods and irons were improved by a long shot as they began to be constructed from composite materials, as opposed to monolithic metals. In one form or another, these changes were designed to extend the life of the ball striking surface of the golf club head, to give an adjustable center of gravity, to selectively weight the perimeter of the golf club head so that the largest possible "sweet spot" could be achieved, to provide the desirable sonic characteristic when the golf club hits the ball, to provide an increase in the inertial moment of the golf club head during the swing, and/or to provide a feel of a solid impact and control when the club is swung and strikes the ball. Ideally, these goals are achieved without changing the basic look of the golf club head so that the player recognizes the club as either a wood or an iron.
However, what is needed is a golf club striking surface that provides maximum ball striking surface strength and stiffness and also resistance to deformation when a golf club head strikes a ball.